Machine for cutting sheet material



Dec. 19, 1944.

E. L. S UTTER 2,365,605

MACHINE FOR CUTTING SHEET MATERIAL Filed-Sept. l, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 1jrzoferziar Dec. 19, 1944. E. L. SUTTER 2,365,605

MACHINE FOR CUTTING SHEET MATERIAL Filed Sept. 1, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 2Jrzaenfor lira/W4 556226; 5 640 W Dec. 19, 1944. E. L. SUTTEIR 2,355,605

MACHINE FOR CUTTING SHEET MATERIAL v Fild Sept. 1, v194s 4 sheets-sheetsE. L. SUTTER MACHINE FOR CUTTING S HEE'I MATERIAL Dec. 19, 1944.

Filed Sept. 1, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Ratented Dec. 19, 1944 MACHINE FOR.CUTTINGYSVHEET'MATERIALH Erwin L. .Sutter, Sharon, Mass., assignortoTiobe Deutschmann Corporation, Canton,qMass., a

corporation of, Delaware Application September 1, 1943, Serial No.500,774 I 4 Claims. (01. 164-42) in electrical condensers. "Con-However, the only practical way of providing su-ch dielectricmaterial isin the form ofa web roll.

The present invention has for its principal object the provision ofautomatic mechanism operative to draw off the dielectric sheet materialfrom a supply rolland to cutit intopiaces of uniform width and'length. Afurther object is to provide a cutting mechanism having pro vis onsforreadily adjusting it to cut pieces of "different lengths and of anywidth less than the width of the supply roll. A further object is toprovide" a simple and durable mechanism capa- 'ble ofoperatingsubstantially continuously and "with but little supervisionandof cutting cleanly and-without tearing the tough and hard surfacedsheet material which is used for insulation. (Dthersandfurther objectsand advantages of theainven'tion will be pointed out in the followingmore detailed description and by reference .to-the accompanying drawingswherein Fig. .1 218 an :elevation of the left-hand side of the apparatusof the present invention;

2 i -a fragmentary elevation of the opposite side of. the -apparatus;

g. 3.is-a+rear elevation ofthe apparatus to larger scale than Fig. 1;

Fig. .4 i va frontelevation of the apparatus to the same scaleas Fig. 3;

.Fig. 5 is .an elevation similar to Fig. 1, .but to larger .scale.andomitting certain parts; and

Fig. .6 .is a fragmentary section substantially on .t'heline .6,6 ofFig. 3. Referring to thadrawings, thenumeral I designates .a.suitab1esupport, for example a bench, upon which the apparatus may be mounted.As here illustrated, the machine comprises a base ,plate "'2 upon whichis mounted a second and somewhatheav'ier plate 3 Welded or otherwiserigidly connected to theplate 3 are the parallel, vertical framemembersl and 5. An extension 611s [boltedor otherwise secured to the plate .5,I Y theextens'ion fi' 'extendin g upwardl beyond the v upper end oftheplate 5 and constituting a sup- A port for adriving'motor '1 '(Figsi3and '4). which may 'be controlled by asuitable' switch mechanism 1 Areduction "gearing 1 is associated withthe motor, and a shaft 8 receivesmotion from this reduction gearing. A gear 9 is secured to the outerendof theshaft 8 and meshes With a gear "IQ fixed to the main driveshaft II which is journaled at its opposite ends in openings in theupper parts' 'of the frame members l and 5.

The shaft H projects outwardly beyond the frame member 4', and anelongate crank arm l2 (Fig. offs 'fixedtothe outer end of the shaft l I.This crank arm l2is providedwith a longitudinally extending T-slot 13(Figs. 3 and 4) which receives an adiusta'blecrank pin which passesthrough an opening in the upper end of a rack 'bar 15'.- The cr'a nk"pin is provided with a -manually actuable'lock nu-t l6 at its outer end.By loosening the nut, the crank pin may be'moved Ion'gitudinally ofthe'slot l'3 in the: crank arm,

thereby tovary the effective lengthiof the crank and-the throwwof therack bar,1l=5. vIf desired,

the crank member 12 may be provided with gradua'tions G '(Fig.3),wandthe crankpin may be provided with a pointer 'P-to cooperate withgame graduations, the graduations being indexed to indicate lengthslofmaterial to be cut.

The rack bar' li is provided. atits edge with rack teeth I! which meshwitha pinion l8 (Fig.

5 which constitutes the drive element of a unidirectional clutchmechanism [9. This clutch mechanism maybe of any desiredtype, forexample a pawl andratchet or cam and roller type of usual and well-knownconstruction designed to transform the reciprocating motion of the rackbar 15 into a uni-directional motion of. the 'driven shaftZU with whichthe clutch i9 is concentr ic. 'This shaft '20 is journaled in "bearingsin the frame members 4 and 5, and between the members '4 and 6 carriesthe lower feed roll 2|. 'Tliis driven-feed ro'll '2l lcooperates with anupper feedroll 22 '(Fig. "6) which is mounted on a shaftf2'3 journaledat its opposite ends in arms 24'and'25 '(Fig. 6 These arms are mountedto rock on a shaft "'26 whose opposite ends are mounted in openings inthe frame members '4 and 5. -A ro'd 26 parallelto shaft 26, alsoconnects the arms24 and 25. An upwardly extendinjg lever arm 21 (Figs. 3and 6) is fixed at its lower end to theshaft 2'6 and rod'ZE said arm,together Withfitherod 26 1and the'arms and 25 constitutinga rigid bellcrank frame which rocks about'theyaxis of shaft 26. A spring 28,

connected-to the upper end of lever arm 21, has

itsoppositeend 'connectedto a rod 29 having an offset portion 30 (Fig.5)and an actuating handle 3|. Normally the offset or hook portion 30 ofthis link engages a horizontal pin 32 at the lower end of an adjustablebracket 33, here shown (Fig. 4) as mounted on the base of the base ofthe motor I. When the part 30 is thus hooked over the part 32, thespring 28 is tensioned, thereby resiliently urging the feed roll 22downwardly toward the feed roll 2|. How ever, if it be desired tointroduce a sheet of paper between the feed rolls, the operatordisengages the part 30 from the part 32, thus relieving the tension onthe spring 28 and permitting the upper feed roll 22 to be raised fromthe lower roll in order to introduce the paper between them. After thepaper has thus been introduced, the operator pulls the handle 3|forwardly, thereby to tension the spring 28, and then moves the handledown so as toreengage the part 30 with the part 32.

A fixed rigid bar 34 (Figs. 4'and 6) is secured to the front edges ofthe frame members 4 and 5, the upper edge of this bar .being horizontaland being accurately ground to form a fixed or ledger blade. Above thebar '34 and spaced slightly 'from the latter is a guard member 35 alsosecured to the front edges of the frame members 4 and and spaced fromthe.upper edge of the bar 34 to leave a narrow slot 36 for thepassage ofthe paper. This guard plate 35 prevents the paper from buckling upwardlyduring the forward feed motion and thus keeps-it in the proper positionfor cutting.

A stud 31 (Fig. 4) projecting from one end of the bar 34 constitutes afulcrum for the movable shearing blade 38. This blade is of sufficientlength to cut paper of the maximum width for which the machine isdesigned. In order that this blade may bear firmly against the ledgerblade 34 during the cutting action and thus provide aclean sharp cut, aleaf spring 39 is arranged to bear against the front surface of theouter or free end of the blade 38. This leaf spring 39 is secured at itslower end to the bar 34 by means of a bolt 40.

The cutting blade 38 has an arm 4| (Fig. 4) projecting outwardly to theright of the fulcrum pin 31, and to this arm is secured the'lower end ofa rigid actuating link 42. The upper end of this link (Fig. 2) has ahead44 provided with an opening for the reception'lof a horizontallydisposed lever arm 45. This lever arm is prefershear mechanism thecounter is actuated so as to count the number of sheets which are cutoff.

An arm 59 (Fig. 6) is arranged adjacent to the inner surface of theframe member 5 and projects rearwardly and constitutes a support for anadjustable block 60. This block carries a pair of parallel rods 6| and62 (Figs. 3 and 6) the block 60 being adjustable about the axis of therod 62. Collars B3 and 64 (Fig. 3) are adjustably mounted on the rod 8|and constitute guides for the opposite edges of the web of paper as itmoves toward the feed rolls. These collars may be adjusted at will tocorrespond to paper of different widths. The rod 80 carries a support 65(also adjustable lengthwise of the rod by means of a set screw 88) onwhich is mounted a razor blade 61, the plane of the blade beingaccurately ably screw threaded for the reception of positioning nuts 41and 48 disposed at the opposite sides (Fig. 2) of the head 44 of thelink 42. A coiled tension spring has its upper end 49 secured to theouter or forward end of the arm 45, and at its lower end is secured to abracket 50 fixed to the base plate 2. This spring tends to swing thelever arm 45 downwardly, thus raising' the cutting balde 38. The arm 45is fixed to a sleeve 5| (Fig. 4) arranged to turn on a shaft 52 mountedin the frame members 4 and 5, and this sleeve has a vertically extendingarm 53 whose upper end is arranged in the path of rotation of a crankpin 54 (Fig. 4) mounted on the left-hand end (Fig. 3) of the drive shaftThus at each rotation of the drive shaft the sleeve 5| is rocked so asto swing the shearing blade 38 downwardly for cooperation with the edgeof the ledger blade 34.

Mounted on the upper part of the frame member 5 is a counter mechanism55 (Fig. 3) having a drive shaft 56 (Fig. 6) on which is mounted a gear51 which meshes with a gear 58 on the drive shaft Thus at eachactuation, of the vertical.

At the rear of the machine a pair of spaced posts68 (Fig. 1) removablysupport a spindle 39 on which is mounted the web roll 10. To prevent toofree rotation of this roll, a friction brake H is arranged to bearagainst the peripheral surface of the roll, this brake being carried bya rod 12 which is hinged at 13 to the plate 2. A spring 14 secured tothe rod 12 and to a pin projecting rom the plate 3 resiliently urges thebrake 1| into frictional contact with the paper roll.

The supply roll 10 is mounted on the spindle 69 and the web P of paperis drawn off from the roll and carried beneath the rod 8|, then past therazor blade 61 and over the rod 59 which supports the arm 59. The paperthen passes between the feed rolls 2| and 22, the latter being lifted,as above described, while threading up the machine. The paper thenpasses through the slot 36 and forwardly across the upper edgeof theledger blade 34. When the machine has thus been threaded up the upperroll (preferably a rubber covered roll) is locked down in operativeposition by hooking part 30 over part 32, the motor is started and ateach rotation of the drive shaft the rack bar I5 is actuated by thecrank l2 so as to turn the lower feed roll 2| in the feeding directionthrough a predetermined angle corresponding to the length of paper whichis to be cut off. This length may readily be adjusted by changing theposition of the crank pin l4 in the slot |3 of the crank member l2. Asthe lower feed roll 2| is rotated, it feeds a predetermined length ofpaper forwardly through the slot 36 and across'the upper edge of theledger blade 34. The parts are so timed that at the completion of thisforward feed of the paper, and while the rack bar I5 is moving idly inthe non-feeding direction, the shearing blade 38 is moved downwardly soas to shear off the length of paper projecting forwardly beyond theupper edge of the ledger blade 34. The machine thus continues tooperate, cutting off one length of paper after another so long as themotor is kept in operation, and so long as the paper is not exhaustedfrom the supply roll 10.

The razor blade 61 is adjusted transversely of the machine to such aposition as, if necessary, to slit the paper, as the paper passes theblade, to the desired width. Obviously if it is not desired to slit thepaper, the blade may be removed or moved so far to one side that it doesnot engage the paper. On the other hand, if it is desired to cut sheetsof less width than the width of the supply web, then the blade is setaccordingly, the guide collars 63 and 64 being properly set to engagethe opposite edges of the paper and thus to hold it in accurate positionfor engagement by the razor blade.

The mechanism as just described is capable of cutting the tough and hardsurfaced paper used for insulating purposes so as to provide sheets ofaccurate width and length and with clean cut edges, and of cutting suchsheets at high speed and without substantial attention after the machinehas once been set up and started.

While one desirable embodiment of the invention has been disclosed byway of example, it is to be understood that the invention is broadlyinclu- 'sive of any and all modifications falling within the scope ofthe appended claims.

I claim:

1. A machine for cutting web material into sheets of predeterminedlength and width and wherein a movable shear blade cooperates with afixed ledger blade to shear the material transversely of its length andwherein feed rolls intermittently advance the web material into thefield of action of the movable blade, characterized in that one of thefeed rolls is mounted on a support so that it may be swung about an axisparallel to the axis of the roll, a rigid lever arm fixed to thesupport, a spring connected at one end to said arm, a hook deviceconnected to the other end of the spring, and a fixed part with whichthe hook is normally but releasably engaged whereby the springtensionmay be completely relieved at will thereby to permit free separation ofthe rolls.

2. A machine for cutting web material into sheets of predeterminedlength and width and wherein a movable shear blade cooperates with afixed blade to shear the material transversely of its length and whereinfeed rolls intermittently advance the web material into the field ofaction of the movable blade, characterized in having three horizontallyspaced rods parallel to the feed rolls, an arm pivoted to swing aboutthe middle rod and means for retaining said arm in adjusted position, ablade support adjustable along the middle rod, 21. pair of independentlyadjustable edge guides mounted on the rear rod, the material to be cutpassing beneath the rear rod and over the front rod, and a blade mountedon the blade support and projecting transversely across the planedefined by the contact points of the material being cut with the frontand rear rods.

3. A machine for cutting web material into sheets of predeterminedlength and width and wherein a movable shear blade cooperates with afixed blade to shear the material transversely of its length and whereinfeed rolls intermittently advance the web material into the field ofaction of the movable blade, characterized in that one of the feed rollsis movable bodily toward and from the other; a bell-crank framecomprising parallel arms which support between them the bodily movableroll, the frame including an actuating arm, a tension spring secured atone end to the actuating arm, a rod attached to the other end of thespring, the rod having a handle at its opposite end andhaving a detentelement intermediate its ends, and afixed member which is normallyengaged by said detent thereby to maintain the spring under tension andto hold the bodily movableroll in operative relation to the other roll,the detent element being releasable from said fixed part by actuation ofthe handlethereby to permit free separation of the roll.

4. A machine for cutting web material into sheets of predeterminedlength and width arid wherein a movable shear blade cooperateswith afixed blade to shear the material transversely of its length and whereinfeed rolls intermittently advance the web material into the field ofaction of the movableblade, characterized in that one of the feed rollsis bodily movable toward and from the other, said bodily movable rollbeing supported by a pair of parallel arms mounted to rock about theaxis of a supporting shaft, a rod parallel to said shaft rigidly unitingthe arms, an actuating arm arranged substantially at right angles to theaforesaid parallel arms, said rod and shaft extending through one end ofsaid actuating arm, a tension spring united at one end to the op positeend of the actuating arm, a hook rod secured at one end to the oppositeend of the spring, the hook rod having a handle at its opposite end andhaving an offset hook portion inter-' mediate its ends, and a fixedabutment with which said hook portion may be engaged after tensioningthe spring thereby normally to hold the spring under tension with therolls in operative relation. v

. ERWIN L. SU'I'IER.

